Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle Reading App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Comment: Ex-library book in good condition with typical stamps and markings. Pages are clean and the binding is tight. *NOTE* Stock photo may not represent the actual book for sale.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and .

This startlingly original debut from "This American Life" contributor Goldstein is a snapshot of the mind of Josh, a rather confused young man who must cope with his father's listlessness and his own overwhelming lust.

"Man at the Helm" by Nina Stibbe
The first novel from a remarkably gifted writer with a voice all her own, "Man at the Helm" is a hilarious and occasionally heart-breaking portrait of childhood in an unconventional family.
See more

{"currencyCode":"USD","itemData":[{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":11.1,"ASIN":"158243347X","isPreorder":0},{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":12.35,"ASIN":"1594483671","isPreorder":0},{"priceBreaksMAP":null,"buyingPrice":12,"ASIN":"0143187511","isPreorder":0}],"shippingId":"158243347X::WvivBfUtJPO6CwxD%2BEhHeFXta6JkVWib5YFXCAKszaXDoU1l8gCIthsRVemtGz0NcW9hALiaJcoqK5HDBC2z0avnSJt4QqJoopWZjX0FGpK79ANyDoNWTA%3D%3D,1594483671::Keb%2FsfFXmMtP3phpldEFzAl82PsqgbbyqSOepO50oIXfRopMtwp4zrf4i%2BUV8FqRYF2bRG3Har3fKkHnyMch1eXJlxur6GlCxUcgaUyUfQo%3D,0143187511::Keb%2FsfFXmMulYylero8nuHhYGM4UipoyEC4NdEGnnmwYxtDavDvN8BDbTCGue9vQesFRtPw5%2BXs3sLMIv1%2F5V68yxpVx12wGkwpZR3VVeULxt2BozUX2JA%3D%3D","sprites":{"addToWishlist":["wl_one","wl_two","wl_three"],"addToCart":["s_addToCart","s_addBothToCart","s_add3ToCart"],"preorder":["s_preorderThis","s_preorderBoth","s_preorderAll3"]},"shippingDetails":{"xz":"same","xy":"same","yz":"same","xyz":"same"},"tags":["x","y","z","w"],"strings":{"addToWishlist":["Add to Wish List","Add both to Wish List","Add all three to Wish List","Add all four to Wish List"],"addToCart":["Add to Cart","Add both to Cart","Add all three to Cart","Add all four to Cart"],"showDetailsDefault":"Show availability and shipping details","shippingError":"An error occurred, please try again","hideDetailsDefault":"Hide availability and shipping details","priceLabel":["Price:","Price for both:","Price for all three:","Price For All Four:"],"preorder":["Pre-order this item","Pre-order both items","Pre-order all three items","Pre-order all four items"]}}

"Notes From a Dead Horse" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
From the acclaimed translators Pevear and Volokhonsky comes a new translation of the first great prison memoir: Fyodor Dostoevsky’s fictionalized account of his life-changing penal servitude in Siberia.
See more

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Interesting, experimental novel by one of my favorite "This American Life" essayists. Folks familiar with that show will recognize the storytelling style: three- or four-sentence paragraph/chapters, each presenting a new idea, are bounced off each other in very rapid succession. The effect is sometimes ironic, sometimes not. Unfortunately, this device may be better suited to radio than it is to the page, and while there are some powerful moments the book comes off as more of a gimmicky exercise than anything else. The relentless cleverness (although the writing isn't terribly funny) make the book seem pretty far removed from actual human experience. It's also bogged down by an undergraduate sensibility about sex, and by a lot of odd metaphors that don't go anywhere. I can imagine this style being successfully applied to the novel form, but I don't think Goldstein's done it here.

Anybody who's ever heard this author on This American Life would have high hopes for any novel he writes, but unfortunately Lenny Bruce is Dead just doesn't live up to his potential.However, I recently read his second book, "Schmelvis", and it's extraordinary. It's not a novel but rather a sort of road trip memoir. It's about a documentary Goldstein worked on about Elvis Presley's Jewish roots (yes, believe it or not, the King was a Hebe) and it is brilliant. He and a film crew, a chassidic jewish Elvis impersonator named Schmelvis and a wacky Rabbi went to Memphis and Israel looking for evidence. Hilarious, touching, fascinating, all at the same time. I'd recommend that Jonathan's fans run, don't walk, and pick up "Schmelvis". Much more in the spirit of This American life than Lenny Bruce is dead, although his novel does have its moments so you might want to read that as well.

This novel was sent across the continent to me by my best friend, and it's a perfect example of why we get along so well.

Like Denis Johnson's Jesus' Son, Barry Hannah's Geronimo Rex and very few others, the protagonist here is a solitary, emotional boy who can't express his emotions outwardly.

His voice is one that moves from narrative to something like poetry without interrupting the feel and flow of the story. Every girl he falls for is guaranteed to be a disaster, but he let's it happen anyway, and you'll fall for them too.

I'm not jewish and not from the north, but i felt every word of his mangled thoughts like they were my very own.

Jonathan Goldstein is a master of analogies. And it's this mastery that is heavily relied upon through the sincere, meandering, disconnected passing titled Lenny Bruce is Dead.

Pros:

+The prose used in the book is unique in that instead of a standard narration the reader is exposed to a series of achronological moments that loosely tie together a character study of the main character, Josh and his close friends and family.

+For as many faults that characterize Josh, his depiction is honest and he is ultimately likeable as the epitome of a man child. Josh's world is small but deep and he's willing to explore and discover what's within his limits even if he chooses not to expand them. In any other story, Josh would be the down and out best friend of a more handsome, more able protagonist. It's interesting to see life from this perspective, and due to this alone, I can recommend this as a read.

Cons:

-The constant jumps throughout the book become tiresome near the end.

-The distinct lack of clarity the beginning of the book makes it difficult to distinguish characters.

-Goldstein spends too much time in this book reinforcing certain tones or themes that only extend the length of the book and ultimately have little pay off. After the 3rd girlfriend storyline, the 4th disclosure about masturbation, 5th rumor concerning the Moshiach, everything starts to feel like padding, as if J.G. was concerned about publishing a novel that had less than 100 pages, and so he increased the font size, increased the number of chapters (that would have to start on new pages), separated each vinette with a blank lines, and then went about added a series of tangential asides to his book.

Overall, I liked the book but would have been happier with a more tightly edited version that didn't allow this interesting premise to overstay it's welcome.

I'm a huge fan of everything I've heard of Goldstein's on This American Life and WireTap and the concepts of his other books, which I have not yet read, and had high hopes for LBID. However, I simply didn't get it.

I didn't laugh once and I didn't really enjoy reading this book. I feel like I'm missing some piece of context that a lot of people have; maybe it just isn't for me.

I am getting ready to read his other books, which I still expect to love.

I picked it up this book because my friends were raving about it and I had heard Goldstein's hilarious radio pieces on This American Life. The narrative voice makes this novel so original and distinct. Goldstein's imagery made me stop reading at times and just think about the power of language. He is a very talented man. He notices everything so tenderly, from a dirty napkin on a table to a girl's funny face. This is an introspective novel about the reflections a man has when his mother dies. It is fragmented, but it almost has to be. It's so beautiful, I could only take it one paragraph at a time. For those who love literature only!